Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow

Overview

She has been called the Empress Dowager of the Lone Star State. With her regal carriage, inherent grace, radiating warmth, and compassionate heart, Miss Ellie is known as an awesome presence in the social and civic circles of Dallas County and beyond. With her keen mind and surprisingly adept business instincts, she is discreetly recognized as the safety net behind her boys, who are running Ewing Oil. But it is Miss Ellie's fierce pride in her heritage, her deep-seated courageousness, and her indefatigable belief in the strength of family that keep the Ewings a family rather than a splintered kingdom of personal fiefdoms.

Early Life

Miss Ellie was born on Southfork Ranch and, with the exception of some of her school days, has never lived anywhere else in her seventy years. Her father, Aaron Southworth, taught her to ride before she could walk, and it is said in Dallas County that, until her mother made her attend Miss Hockaday's, the exclusive finishing school in Dallas, Miss Ellie had never walked on her own two feet. Indeed, she was a wild one, born with all the fiery spirit of the Southworth generations.

In contrast, Ellie's older brother, Garrison, seemed to be born in the wrong family. Though he liked the animals all right, the ranching way of life — Southworth style — was not for him. He preferred a quieter, more serene way of life and, much to his father's utter dismay, had a passionate attachment to, of all things, water and boats. So his father chose to ignore him, for the most part, and take Ellie as "his" child, bringing her to cattle auctions in Fort Worth when she was four years old, yahooing as she charged alongside him on her pony across the ranges, and winking his approval as she kept scores at rodeos. But Ellie had another side, one that she shared with Garrison. She thrived on music — country, classical, opera — as much as she did on the songs of nature. She was mesmerized by art of all kinds and, unlike any of the Southworths before her, had a gift for painting. Her subjects? Why, Southfork and its animals, of course.

She and Garrison were quite close, which Aaron thought all right, but… when he couldn't find Ellie, Aaron knew Garrison had her off somewhere, doing some kind of sissy stuff. And he hoped Ellie wouldn't go too far awry at that fancy-schmancy school she was attending. Though Aaron knew he would have to leave Southfork to Garrison — it was unheard of to do anything else — he also knew that Ellie would have to run it behind the scenes until she married a suitable rancher to take over.

School Years

Miss Ellie was popular in school, but more because of the social standing of her family than anything else. She was a Southworth — which counted for an awful lot, no matter what you were like — and was quite beautiful with her billowing mane of hair, blazing blue eyes, and simply dazzling smile. She was certainly not like the other girls. Where they took their lessons seriously — in etiquette, cooking, French, etc. — Ellie would burst into laughter over her own helplessness and disinterest, and where they groaned and yawned — at mathematics and natural science — her face glowed with anticipation. And she was restless, constantly, yearningly, looking out the window as if she were about to expire if she didn't get outside soon. And her way with boys! The other girls shook their heads in astonishment and then jealousy — you could hardly call her a lady, carrying on and hootin' and hollerin', as pretty as she was in a stunning silk dress — but really! The boys were mad about her.

Digger Barnes

When Ellie was sixteen, an older man, a wildcatter, caught her eye. He was the son of a Southfork ranch hand, but his connection to oil was enough to break the blood connection. Since her father claimed that "They (oilmen) ruined the ranges and stank up the air," she was forced to see him on the sly. Eventually, all of Dallas murmured at seeing Miss Southworth together with Willard "Digger" Barnes, one of the craziest wildcatters around.

Digger was fascinating to Ellie — gentle one minute, raucous and humorous the next. And his occasional wild bursts of forbidden drunkenness captivated her. At those times he told her stories of the oil fields, of his daring feats, of the danger, and he always, always wound up telling her how desperately he loved her. He never ever, not even at his worst, behaved as anything but a gentleman with her.

How he adored her spirit! Many years later Digger described Miss Ellie in those days:

“She was a wee little thing, Ellie was, with a great big laugh and a way about her. Sweet as sugar one minute, come at you with a shotgun the next. Oh, that temper. Fierce. But fast, like a firecracker. Flare up real big and loud — boom! — and then go right out.”

Jock, Marriage, and Family

Digger liked to think that they would one day manage to get married, but what little chance he had was blown away when Jock Ewing appeared. Jock simply swept Miss Ellie off her feet—or so they say. More than one Dallas resident has remarked on the coincidence that Ellie agreed to marry Jock on the day the Sheriff was foreclosing on Southfork, and that Jock was the only eligible man in Dallas who had the money to save it. But Miss Ellie said she loved him, and it was evident over the years that that was indeed the truth.

Her father didn't give the two of them five years together—said they were both too stubborn—but he was wrong. This is not to say that their marriage was smooth. They both had strong, independent wills, which often clashed mightily, but even stronger were their unrelenting respect, love, and passion for one another.

Jock Ewing and Miss Ellie Southfork Ranch Dallas

Miss Ellie and Jock's wedding was one of the largest in Dallas's history. Although everyone knew that Aaron was bankrupt, he refused to let Jock pay for the wedding and somehow came up with enough money (Ellie noticed the precious objects that disappeared from the house) to insist on the finest. He not only ordered that Ellie's wedding gown be made of imported French fabric but also paid for a seamstress to come along with it, all the way from Paris, to fit her. Hundreds of guests arrived, and out came the food, tons of barbecue and drink, and a band to beat the day.

The event was slightly marred for Ellie by her brother's absence. He had written to wish her well and tell her that he had joined the Merchant Marines and would be at sea on the day of her wedding. A short time later, the family was notified that Garrison had been lost at sea. Ellie was deeply grieved.

After she bore their first son, J.R., Ellie began to settle down some. She participated in Aaron and Jock's discussions regarding the finances of the ranch in the library, and in the bedroom she listened to Jock's dreams that were being realized at Ewing Oil, but she began to see that her role in life could not be only a wife and mother at Southfork, but that it must involve the outside community. There were enormous changes taking place in Dallas, and she began to take an active interest in the city, particularly in the cultivation of its arts. She joined the Daughters of the Alamo, a woman's volunteer group centered in Dallas. Under Ellie's leadership—for almost forty years—the DOA went from being a social club for elite ladies to one of the most effective and influential civic groups in the state. They involved themselves in land reform issues, in protests against what they felt were dangerous precedents in housing developments, and established and supported many charitable agencies dealing with food, clothing, housing, and medical care for the disadvantaged.

Just prior to the outbreak of World War II, Ellie gave birth to another son and named him after her brother, Garrison. She had her third and last son, Bobby, six years later. Ellie adored her children. Nothing made her happier than to see the boys roughhousing in one of their infamous football games on the Southfork lawn. She'd give anything to encourage their love for Southfork, to keep them there all day—and, hopefully, for the rest of their lives. Up went the basketball hoop, stables with ponies inside were labeled "J.R.," "Gary," and "Bobby," and Ellie supervised the building of a swimming pool.

The boys were the center of her and Jock's life, but Ellie had one special son, and her favoritism was hard to hide. Gary, always Gary. Reminiscent of the scenes between her parents over her brother, Jock and Ellie's fights always seemed to be over Gary. J.R. was an oilman, just like his daddy. And no wonder, Ellie thought; Jock stole the child away from her when he was five and plunked him behind a desk at Ewing Oil. Bobby was a rancher, just like Jock was now becoming, but Bobby was versatile enough, quick enough to be a Ewing Oil executive one day as well. Gary, poor Gary, was not quite fitting in anywhere. Oh, he loved ranching well enough, but he simply did not get along with Jock's rough-and-ready temperament. Gary was more like Ellie, in that he was artistically inclined, but he lacked her will on an everyday level. When he was a teenager, Ellie winced at what she saw. Gary started drinking to gain courage to stand up to Jock, and to J.R., who had been bullying him since the day he was born. When Gary ran away from Southfork after his brief attempt at marriage with Valene Clements, it nearly broke Ellie's heart, and deep down inside she harbored a resentment against Jock that would surface years later.

As her sons grew up into men of their own minds, Ellie missed having a child around. Though she was distressed that Gary and Valene's marriage had broken up, she was elated to bring up their tiny baby, Lucy, as the daughter she had never had.

Loss, Leadership, and Love

The years rolled along, and in 1979 Ellie was handed a shock. Her brother, Garrison—after almost forty years of being thought dead—reappeared at Southfork. Since Ellie had inherited Southfork from her father only because of Garrison's alleged death, she felt honor-bound to offer him the ranch. The entire Ewing family recoiled in horror, but Ellie was persistent; she believed in the tradition of family land following blood lineage. To everyone's relief but Ellie's, Garrison was not interested in Southfork, since he was dying of cancer and only wanted to spend his final days on the land where he was born, near the sister he cherished. It was a sad day—yet somehow happy—when Ellie put her brother to rest on Southfork.

In 1979, Ellie had the scare of her life. She discovered a lump in her breast and was forced to have a lifesaving mastectomy, during which the malignant tumor and twelve lymph nodes were removed. It was so terribly frightening, because it was one of the few sets of circumstances where Ellie had absolutely no control over the outcome, no way to 'fight it herself. Her disfigurement and shaken self-image were something she had to wrestle with for years, but the brush with death also reaffirmed her zest and passion for life, for, indeed, it was more precious than ever.

The year 1980 proved to be even more painful for Ellie. Another fight erupted over Gary, and after Ray Krebbs was revealed to be Jock's son, all of Miss Ellie's anger over Gary's departure from Southfork came roaring to the surface. She accused Jock of abandoning, as a father, not only Gary but also J.R. and Bobby, in favor of Ray. And then, when Ellie and the DOA joined forces with Donna Culver Krebbs to stop the Takapa development project from destroying a wilderness area in East Texas and she found out that Jock, of all people, was one of the developers, her rage was complete. She felt betrayed on all levels. Worse yet, she thought that perhaps she had been married all of these years to a man she had never really known. Ellie's anger was further fueled by Jock's self-righteous response, and she went so far as to go to a lawyer and begin divorce proceedings. After their youngest son, Bobby, fortunately got involved and settled the Takapa project problem to everyone's satisfaction, Miss Ellie and Jock rose above their mutual anger and stubbornness and were lovingly reconciled.

In 1981, while Jock was working down in South America, Miss Ellie had to step into the business of Ewing Oil to pull the company back on track from J.R.'s disastrous course. In an effort to force Clayton Farlow to kick Sue Ellen off the Southern Cross Ranch in San Angelo, J.R. had bought all the oil that normally fed Farlow's refineries. It was a great plan, except that J.R. used all the resources of Ewing Oil to do it, and the bottom fell out of the oil market. Ewing Oil was holding five million barrels of crude without a buyer in sight—a loss that endangered the solvency of the company. With her shoulders thrown back and her head held high, Miss Ellie flew to the Southern Cross in the Southfork helicopter and struck a deal with Clayton that saved the day. In addition, she won a new friend in Clayton. She was pleasantly taken by this robust man and thought how much like Jock he was, and how much Jock himself would like him. The night of the Ewing Barbecue in 1981 was the worst night of Ellie's life. She was notified that Jock's helicopter had crashed in a storm in South America and that he was presumed dead. Her boys flew there and found evidence to confirm that Ellie's beloved Jock was truly dead. She was devastated. Her shock and her grief pushed her into a semicatatonic emotional state where she simply refused to believe that her husband was gone. The family agonized over her behavior, her denial, but it wasn't until 1982 that she came to terms with the truth. At a quiet family dinner one night, Miss Ellie rose from the table and rushed into the kitchen and there, venting all of her grief and anguish over Jock's death, smashed every piece of crockery within her reach. Following the night of the Oil Baron's Ball, when the Jock Ewing Memorial Scholarships were announced, Miss Ellie told her family that it was time to declare Jock legally dead and to read his will.

The will was, in many ways, the last straw for Ellie. Its instructions—J.R. and Bobby each running half of Ewing Oil, and battling each other for a year—resulted in a nightmare for everyone in the family. No one took it harder than Miss Ellie. Power, and the struggle for it, may have suited Jock, but it had never brought out the best in her sons. For the next few months, Ellie was torn this way and that, trying to protect her sons from each other and keep some semblance of a family. Finally, in desperation at how ugly the competition had become, Ellie was pushed to move in and try to break Jock's will, under the pretense that he was not in his right mind when he wrote it.

It was the last thing on earth she wanted to do—to publicly denounce her husband's state of mind—but she was frantic to keep the family together. Despite her efforts, the court upheld the will and Ellie, exhausted, was forced to the sidelines while her sons battled it out. Had it not been for the counsel she received from Clayton Farlow and the support from her daughter-in-law Pamela, no one knew what would have happened to her.

By 1983 the family's problems had worn Ellie down, and her health started to fail. Alarmed, Clayton wisely took her away from all of the chaos at Southfork and brought her to Takapa Resort. There, while under a doctor's supervision, Ellie received badly needed rest and, perhaps the best cure of all, love from Clayton. She recovered fully, which was a good thing, since in her absence the family unity had been blown to kingdom come. Ellie became engaged to Clayton soon after and, with her strength supported by his, started to replenish Southfork with love.

Ellie had no pretensions about replacing Jock with Clayton, but certainly Clayton was the kind of man of whom Jock would have approved. The couple had their differences to work out—that he had to move to Southfork, for example—and their personal trials to overcome—Ellie's fear that Clayton would be turned off by her mastectomy—but they got through all of it, strengthening their bond, becoming solid and real.

Marriage, Trials, and Strength

Their path to marriage seemed clear. Then, in a ghastly incident just before their wedding in 1984, Ellie was nearly killed by Clayton's sister, Lady Jessica Montford. It was quite a shock that such a gentle man could have a psychotic killer for a sister. The quick reflexes of Clayton, along with J.R. and Bobby, saved Ellie, and it was Ellie and Clayton's love that saved their wedding the very next day at Southfork.

Miss Ellie and Clayton Farlow marry in Dallas. The wedding was a beautiful affair, a dignified ceremony marking the beginning of a new chapter for both. Miss Ellie was given away by her sons J.R. and Bobby; and Sue Ellen Ewing, her daughter-in-law, of whom she is extremely fond, served as matron of honor. Ellie and Clayton took a long, romantic honeymoon cruise among the Greek Isles.

1986 brought a great heartache for Ellie as she was given a painful reminder of the past. A man by the name of Wes Parmalee took up the job of ranch foreman; he was an elderly man but distinguished and strong in presence. Upon meeting him Ellie found herself instantly attracted to this man; he reminded her of someone she once knew but she couldn’t quite place him.

Ellie then accidentally stumbled across Wes’s belongings and, to her shock, discovered Jock’s buckle that he had been wearing during the time of the helicopter crash in South America. She also found some pictures of herself, much younger — pictures Jock had once carried around in his wallet. She was horrified — who was this man? Wes revealed to Ellie that he was indeed Jock, her husband declared dead some years previously, explaining that he had been in that awful helicopter crash and had been near death and, after extensive reconstructive surgery, had decided to return to his “family.” Ellie was in a state of shock and confusion; part of her wanted to believe Jock had returned, but what of Clayton?

The Ewing family were in chaos. Ellie continued to make contact with the man, causing Clayton to move out of Southfork; meanwhile, the rest of the family refused to believe his story. Ellie confided to Mavis Anderson about her confusion. Mavis questioned Ellie’s feelings: “Is it Jock? Or is it that man Wes you’re attracted to?” she asked. Deep down Ellie knew he wasn’t Jock, and eventually Wes confessed that he indeed had been in that helicopter crash in South America, and he had met Jock, and during a period where Jock had a bad fever he had revealed the history of the Ewing family. Wes then left Dallas and has not been heard of since.

1987 brought new heartache to Ellie. Not only had Pamela been involved in a terrible car accident and left Dallas, but Clayton was diagnosed as having a heart problem and needed to undertake surgery. Clayton began to feel vulnerable and felt a need to prove himself by ignoring the doctors’ warnings to take things easy. Ellie went out of her way to protect Clayton from “himself” by making sure he took care of himself, but this seemed to drive Clayton further away from Ellie and put a terrible strain on their marriage.

Clayton befriended a young woman by the name of Laurel Ellis; she breathed new life into Clayton, attempting to inspire him to find something fulfilling to do with his life. Clayton began to spend more time with Laurel, even forgetting his 3rd wedding anniversary with Ellie. Ellie was convinced Clayton was having an affair with this young attractive girl, and confided to Mavis about her fears. Ellie then left for St. Croix to sort out her thoughts and, upon returning, confronted Clayton about Laurel and refused to believe him when he claimed the relationship was innocent and asked him to leave Southfork, which he did. The situation came to a head when Laurel’s “blackmailing” artist friend was found dead and Clayton was arrested for the murder; it was soon discovered that Laurel’s ex-boyfriend was responsible and Laurel explained to Ellie that her relationship with Clayton was purely innocent and Ellie and Clayton were reunited.

To the outside observer, Southfork Ranch is a tranquil place. That is how Enoch Southworth foresaw it in the 1860s, and that is how Aaron tried to maintain it. But the union of Southworth and Ewing blood has created a family of inordinate will, power, and high passion, and no one but the possessor of the most fierce clan loyalty and unflagging love of family and tradition could possibly manage it. And Miss Ellie not only manages it, but also commands it. For more than their love for her, the family has an overriding, nonnegotiable respect for this woman. When Rosalynn Carter was nicknamed the "Iron Magnolia," the family shared discreet looks and chuckles at the dinner table in Miss Ellie's direction. She was mildly amused, but really rather disinterested, for she knows better than anyone else that the name Miss Ellie needs no further amplification.

Death and Legacy

Though the years eventually carried Miss Ellie beyond the world she had fought so hard to protect, her presence never truly left Southfork. Miss Ellie died in 2001 and was laid to rest on the land that had defined her life — Southfork Ranch — the home she had been born to, loved fiercely, and defended with unwavering strength.

Even in death, Ellie continued to guide the destiny of the Ewing family. When the next generation gathered at Southfork years later, a revelation from her will reminded them all that her convictions had never softened. Miss Ellie had made the difficult decision to cut J.R. out of her will, believing that he was “not a rancher” and therefore not the rightful steward of Southfork’s legacy.

It was a final act that spoke volumes about the woman she had always been. To Ellie, Southfork was never simply land or wealth — it was heritage, responsibility, and the living heart of the family. Ranching represented continuity, tradition, and honor, values she believed must endure long after she was gone.

Yet Miss Ellie, ever the guardian of the family’s future, did not leave the ranch without careful thought for the generations to come. A portion of Southfork passed to her grandson, John Ross Ewing III — a decision that stirred conflict within the family and weighed heavily on Bobby, who understood better than anyone the burden of preserving what his mother had built.

And so, even from her resting place beneath Texas soil, Miss Ellie’s voice could still be heard in the choices her family was forced to make. The battles changed, the faces grew younger, but the principles remained the same — loyalty to family, respect for the land, and the unbreakable belief that the Ewings must stand together.

Southfork endures as her monument. Every fence line, every pasture, every sunrise over the ranch carries the imprint of her will. For Miss Ellie was never merely the matriarch of the Ewing family — she was its foundation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Even legends become family stories—told at breakfast tables, in whispered arguments, and in the quiet places on the ranch. Miss Ellie is no exception. These are the questions people ask most often about the woman who held Southfork together.

Who played Miss Ellie Ewing?

Miss Ellie was portrayed primarily by Barbara Bel Geddes, with Donna Reed stepping into the role during Bel Geddes’ temporary departure, before Bel Geddes returned.

What is Miss Ellie’s full name?

She is most often known as Miss Ellie Ewing, born Eleanor Southworth. Later, she is also known as Ellie Ewing Farlow after her marriage to Clayton Farlow.

Who were Miss Ellie’s children?

Miss Ellie’s sons are J.R. Ewing, Gary Ewing, and Bobby Ewing—three very different men, bound by blood, pride, and the long shadow of their father’s name.

Who was Miss Ellie married to?

Miss Ellie’s great love was Jock Ewing, and after Jock’s death she later married Clayton Farlow. Each marriage marked a different era at Southfork—one forged in fire and ambition, the other in endurance and second chances.

Is Miss Ellie alive in the 2012 Dallas revival?

No. By the time of the 2012 revival, Miss Ellie is spoken of as having already passed away, her presence felt more as memory and moral gravity than as a living force in the house.

In the 2012 revival, what does Miss Ellie’s will change at Southfork?

In the revival-era conflict over whether Southfork should be drilled, Bobby’s refusal is framed as loyalty to his late mother’s wishes—Southfork is more than land to her; it is a heritage that should not be sacrificed to the next deal.

Where is Miss Ellie buried?

The revival-era story treats Miss Ellie as gone, and supplemental timeline material has placed her death in 2001 and associated her resting place with Southfork. The show itself is sparing in details—true to how families often handle grief: by moving forward, while never truly letting go.